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The hardest (and easiest) California state park campgrounds to book right now
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San Clemente State Beach in Orange County, Calif.Courtesy of California State Parks, 2019
Even pre-pandemic, the demand for state park campsites outstripped supply. But this year, with travel still being actively discouraged by California’s Department of Public Health and the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the search for reservations in the most sought-after parks is more challenging than ever.
A recent search for sites in one of my favorite campgrounds, New Brighton State Beach near Capitola, south of Santa Cruz, returned almost no two-day reservations between now and September. Even planning six months ahead wasn t enough to secure a site.
It’s also severly unstaffed.
Last year, there were eight to 10 rangers on staff, plus two supervising rangers and a superintendent.
Today, there are no supervising rangers. The superintendent position has been eliminated. And there are only four rangers patrolling the largest park in California.
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The lack of coverage for the 600,000-acre desert, coupled with the exodus of a number of rangers after the suicide of a beloved ranger, has led former park employees to sound the alarm.
They say their warnings are not being taken seriously enough in Sacramento. State park officials said there are staffing shortages at all the parks, not just Anza-Borrego, and they are trying to fill the vacancies.